Glamours
by DreamShadow22452
Summary: Alyssa Trueblood is a shadowhunter… sort of. For five years, she has been living with her distant relatives in New York, where she is constantly reminded of her ineptitude at just about everything. Cursed with ADHD and Dyslexia, it seems Alyssa will never become the elite killer they all want her to be… until she comes across a strange trio of magical people in orange shirts.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: So, hello everyone! I'm really excited to finally start writing this fic, as I've been planning it out for a really long time. I promise I will finish it no matter how long it takes me, so don't worry about that!**

**Just as a general warning, this fic does not feature any of the characters from PJO or TMI as main characters, though they will be mentioned occasionally and might even make a brief appearance later on! I really hope that you all enjoy reading about the new characters I have taken the time to come up with.**

**Also, this contains mild spoilers for the TMI series. You can probably read it without having finished the series, but be aware that I might spoil you. It will probably also spoil the PJO and HOO series. However, The Blood of Olympus has not been released yet, so if you are reading this after its release date (Lucky you!) remember that I will completely disregard anything that happens in it because, well, I haven't read it yet and I already planned this story out.**

**Unfortunately, I am not Rick Riordan or Cassandra Clare, so this does not belong to me.**

* * *

I let out a scream of frustration as I throw my knife to the ground, having failed, for the fifth time in a row, to hit my target. I hate throwing knives. I hate them with a passion and I never want to touch another one ever again. I cross my arms and look down at my feet, where the sixth knife has lodged annoyingly in the rubber mat, sticking straight up, in exactly the position I have been aiming for for the past couple hours.

"So now you cooperate, huh?"

I've spent the entire morning listening to the dull thud of knives on rubber as weapon after weapon misses its target, bounces off some random object in the room, and lies pathetically on the ground. It's a good thing I train alone, because I think my rebounds pose a much bigger threat than my initial throws.

I wipe the sweat off my forehead and glance down at the small watch on my wrist. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that it's already eight o'clock in the morning, which means I've been training for a full hour. I usually give up and storm off well before that.

Grateful, I put the knives away, already disregarding my previous vow to stay away from them, and hope that I didn't leave too big a hole in the mat. The other shadowhunters always get mad when I lose my temper like that, especially when I ruin the equipment. Though I do suspect it's mainly because I'm a danger to myself and to others every time I start throwing knives around, and not for the reasons you might think. I chopped of my own toe a few weeks ago.

I baffles me how seemingly every shadowhunter in the universe can spend hours at a time training with one weapon. And the same one every time, at that! I get bored after approximately ten minutes, then I have to go and find something else to do. I hate training, and that's why I always do it alone. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of anyone, even my closest friends.

I slip silently out of the training room and head down the hall in the direction of my room, intending to get changed quickly then go to the kitchen for breakfast. I'm in a baggy shirt and shorts, my dark hair tied up in a messy ponytail. I know I'm supposed to me in gear for training, but the stuff is so damn uncomfortable that I never bother to put in on unless someone forces me into it. Besides, it's not like I've suffered that many serious injuries in my street clothes. Or at least, nothing that can't be fixed with a simple _iratze_. Except my toe. That's still missing.

When I reach my room, I throw on, well, pretty much the same thing I was just wearing, just a little better fitting and a with slightly better smell. My fashion sense is really lacking. I take out my ponytail, which has fallen so far out of place I look like a lion, and try to arrange my thick curls around my shoulders in a way that doesn't make me look like I just got out of bed. It's a difficult process. I've always wanted to just chop it all off, but I'm pretty sure Jessica would have a heart attack if I did. She's obsessed with my hair.

When I step into the dining room, which is just down the hall, I'm greeted with groggy "Good morning Alyssa's" from everyone present. They all sit in their regular spots: Jessica at the head of the table, the place she has apparently insisted on occupying since she was five. She doesn't even look up from her food, her thin golden locks hiding her face as I walk in. Chris sits to her right, and makes a point of flashing me a warm smile as I walk over to the small table. He smiles at everyone like that, all the time. It must get tiring. The corners of my mouth turn up slightly in reply as I take my seat and Maryse slides a plate in front of me.

"Where were you this morning?" Chris asks immediately, "I went to wake you up, but you weren't in your room."

Looking down at my plate, I answer his question as calmly as I can, though I wonder if he can see my shoulders tense. "Oh, I was training."

I don't usually tell them about my training, because they always insist on accompanying me, and I'm not sure how to tell them that I don't want them around. It's not that I don't enjoy their company, I just… need to train on my own.

Sure enough, Jessica looks up immediately. "You didn't tell us that! We would have come with you, helped you out!" _You really need it._ She doesn't say it aloud this time, but the phrase is implied. We all know that's what she's thinking.

That's the thing with my friends. They can't grasp the concept of individual training. They don't understand when I tell them I want to do things alone because I, quite frankly, suck at everything, while they're unbelievably good at everything and they know it. Jessica especially.

I pretend to be absorbed in my meal. "I just wanted to do things on my own. I get more done that way."

I can't see her, but I imagine that Jessica rolls her eyes at me. "Alyssa, I know we intimidate you, but trust me when I say it's a good thing. You're a shadowhunter. If you would just work a little harder, you'd be just as good as any of us."

That's just the thing. The working hard part. I can't do it, because any time I start doing something, my ADHD brain trails off and breaks my concentration. I've tried to explain it before, but they all seem convinced it's something I can work through. I know Jessica resents me for it, even if she tries to hide it. She values hard work over just about everything. Chris is more understanding, but I think he sees me as more of a friend/little sister than a teammate or training partner.

I continue to shovel pancakes into my mouth, completely ignoring the others, until I realize that my plate is empty. Damn. Taking the excuse, I bring my plate over to the sink, then make my way to the door. I hear Chris' voice just before I leave.

"Hey, we're gonna go for a run then train for an hour or so once we're done. Why don't you come with?"

He doesn't look surprised when I shake my head. This is a routine for us. Every morning, after breakfast, they go for a run. Then they train. They ask if I want to join them. I refuse. Sometimes they insist, but lately they've started to give up on me. Most of the Shadowhunters already have. They've finally figured out that I just don't belong here.

My room is bare and tidy. What else am I supposed to do while the others are training? I spend hours here every day, cleaning, reading, whatever, and it's the only place in the institute that really feels like home. After five years in New York, my room here is completely different from the one I had back home, and yet it has just as much personality. My walls are a light green, a few posters from back home tacked up on the walls. None of them mean much to me, but I like having them there anyway. An old Winnipeg Jets poster my friend gave me. I don't actually care much about the team, but it's nice to have a reminder of home and of my friends. A poster for some ancient greek play about the gods that I thought was super cool at the time. The greek alphabet, the only letters I can read without too much difficulty.

My bookshelf is dusty and seldom used. I have a few mandatory shadowhunter books, including the codex, but I don't think I've finished a single one of them. If the practical part of training is bad, the theoretical part is an absolute nightmare. My dyslexia makes it incredibly difficult to read anything, and my mind always wanders off any time I have to sit in the library for extended periods of time. This part is considered less important, but the Shadowhunters are not known for their patience, and they often get seriously annoyed with me.

The only books I really read are in ancient greek. I don't know why the language fascinates me so much, but we touched on it briefly once and I found I had a natural talent for it. I have since scoured the library for any book written in ancient greek, which are surprisingly few. My greek still isn't perfect, but I find these books much easier to read than the others. Besides, I love the thrilling tales of the Olympian gods, the drama that is so exaggerated and extreme it seems almost laughable. It's how I spend a good portion of my free time.

I pick up my book on runes, the least excruciating of the various subjects I will have to continue studying for two more years, until I'm eighteen (probably much longer, though, given the rate at which I'm progressing). I might even go so far as to say that I like runes, though that preference may have been forced upon me. Since I can't fight with the others, I tend to end up treating their wounds after the battle, a practice that requires a certain knack with runes as well as a knowledge of the various different ones and what they do.

I'm just starting the book when I hear the phone ring in another room, followed by the sound of someone dashing to get it. I guess there must have been some sort of incident in the city. This sort of stuff doesn't really concern me most of the time, since I always stay at home. I have never been on a single mission, battle, whatever you want to call it, in my entire life.

I hear Maryse run frantically around the building, calling for Chris and Jessica, but they're not home. They always start off their training with a run in Central Park, so of course they're not back yet.

Maryse sounds really worried. I'm about to get up and ask her what's going on, when my cellphone starts ringing. I immediately dash to my desk and snatch my phone off of it, worried that Chris or Jessica might be in trouble.

"Hello?"

"Alyssa, it's Jessica. Where are you?" She sounds really freaked out, and I immediately stand up straighter. It takes a lot to unhinge my best friend.

"Um, in my room. Where else?"

"Where's Maryse?"

I hear the door slam at the other end of the building. "I'm pretty sure she just left. Is something wrong?"

She curses. "Listen, I need you to get into gear, grab as many weapons as you can carry, and get to Central Park. Now."

I freeze. Nobody ever asks me to help them out with important shadowhunter stuff. Ever. That's how I know something big is happening. My voice takes on a dangerous tone. "Jessica, what's going on?"

"Just hurry!" She screams. I don't think I've ever heard her sound so scared. "God, Alyssa, can't you just follow orders for once? There are too many of them and not enough of us, and we need to protect the mun-"

She cuts off. The line goes dead. And then all I can hear is the dial tone.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was short and mostly just character development. I'll try to get the next one up soon.**

**Please leave a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan or Cassandra Clare**

I am frozen in place. I dial Jessica's number over and over again, but she never answers. I call Chris. Maryse. No answers.

Stuff like this has happened before. My phone has shut down or gone haywire, as do most electronics whenever I try to use them. It's usually a false alarm.

So why do I feel panic rising inside me?

With shaking fingers, I send a text to Chris. It works just fine. I call Taki's. Someone answers. For once, the problem is not with my phone.

It's theirs that aren't working.

I try to clear my head. _Think, Alyssa, think._ Maryse sounded scared when she was calling for the others. Jessica sounded terrified when she called me. It's a good bet something dangerous is going on. But what could they possibly need me for? What on earth could I possibly do to help them?

Weapons. Jessica said to bring weapons. She was only on her morning run, so she probably didn't bring much to defend herself with. Neither did Chris. Maryse was in a hurry: she probably only brought enough for herself. Jessica is probably counting on me to bring weapons for them.

But she also said to get into gear. What could that mean? She can't possibly intend for me to fight!

I never fight. Ever. If Jessica called me, of all people, while she was in trouble, it means that she was really desperate for help. Though I doubt I can do anything to help them, I simply can't put my friends at risk by not showing up ready to fight when they ask me to. I would never forgive myself if I let them die.

My decision made, I tear through my closet until I feel leather under my fingers. I pull out the top half of my gear and rifle around for the rest of it, until I think I have all of it. I struggle into the ill-fitting outfit in record time, though I'm sure I misplace a bunch of the straps. I tell myself it doesn't matter. Remembering to grab my stele at the last minute, I dash out my door and run to the weapons room as quickly as I can in this outfit.

Shadowhunter gear is supposed to be easy to move around in, to give you an edge in fights, but that's only if you've bothered to break it in. It also helps if the gear actually fits you, which mine doesn't. The hem of the pants don't quite reach my ankles, though the tall boots mostly make up for it, and there's way too much empty space around my shoulders.

Once I reach the weapon supply, I grab as many swords, knives, bows and other weapons as I can carry, stopping only to apply speed and strength runes to my arms. I wish I could get a wagon or something to pull behind me, but I have a feeling that would cause unnecessary complications and really do more harm than good. Besides, I need to get to central park as quickly as possible.

The run to the park is a blur, and not just because my eyes are clouding over from exhaustion after a few minutes. I have to take a ton of side streets so as to avoid the crowds, but the thing with New York is that the crowds are pretty much unavoidable, and I get the feeling pretty quickly that one teenage girl running down the street loaded with deadly weapons would attract a lot less attention than one invisible force plowing down all the mundanes, which is what I must look like now, thanks to my glamour rune.

I'm also so focused on helping my friends that even with my ADHD, I am able to block out my surroundings pretty easily. I could probably run right past a demon casually munching on a kid without even batting an eye.

I skid to a stop at the bench where Chris and Jessica usually take a break during their morning run, and bend down to catch my breath. Those weapons are heavy!

At sound of a very loud, very human scream, my head jerks back up, and for the first time, I take in my surroundings.

A gravel road stretches in front of me, and though my view is blocked by trees, I know from experience that it leads to a large field. To my left, another path leads out of my sight. My stomach lurches when I notice a puddle of blood right at my feet, mixed in with just the slightest hint of dark ichor. There is no body in sight, but I don't look very hard.

I force my eyes away from the puddle and fight the lightheadedness that threatens to overwhelm me. _It's too late for that person. There's nothing I can do for them._ I repeat this mantra as I advance slowly toward the place where the trees finish and the field starts. The screams are louder now, coming from more than one direction, and the stench of blood fills the air. Oh god. Is this what every battle is like?

I find new respect for my kind as I finally get a good look at the battlefield, because I can't imagine how they can possibly face this kind of stuff on a daily basis.

It's a massacre. Children, adults, babies, police officers, all kinds of innocent mundanes lay sprawled on the ground in pools of blood as the demons go through the screaming crowd, tearing apart everything they lay eyes, or rather, teeth, on.

I'm jolted into action at the sight of a mangled Shadowhunter corpse, thankfully no one that I recognize. My friends need me, and though there probably isn't much I can do, I'm certainly not doing them any good right now.

I dart through the crowd, resisting the urge to gag as I scream my friends' names. I sound just like any of the unfortunate mundanes gathered here, but I pray they'll recognize my voice.

I'm just about to lose hope when I see him. Locked in combat with a spider-like creature, every trace of the gentle, friendly Chris I have gotten so accustomed to has disappeared. In his place is a fierce warrior ready to sacrifice his own life in a futile attempt to save that of a mundane. Even if all he has to fight with is a large dagger and a stele.

"Chris!" I scream instinctively, then slap my hand over my mouth. Thankfully, he's smart enough not to turn around, though I can tell he hears me from the slight pause he takes before he impales the demon in the stomach. Because of me, he misses his chance and hits armour instead.

I sprint to his side, draw one of my swords, throw him a few extra weapons and, for the first time in my life, I charge into battle. Actual battle.

Ever been in a swordfight with a giant insect with poisonous fangs and armour? No? Well imagine that, except instead of one sword, your opponent has eight giant claws, and they're all coming at you from different directions. Not to mention the fact that you opponent also has eight eyes.

Never in my life have I been so grateful for my ADHD. Though it may be a pain in the classroom, my so-called "disorder" comes with serious benefits on the battlefield. Despite my lack of skill and coordination, I manage to fend off multiple legs at once until Chris finds a weak spot in the demon's armour.

The demon folds in on itself, spewing black ichor, and we stand there for a few seconds before he turns to me incredulously.

"What are you even doing here? It's not safe! You should be at the institute, Alyssa!"

I cross my arms. I know that Chris means this in the nicest way possible, but I would appreciate at least a little bit of respect after I just helped him kill a demon.

"May I point out that if it weren't for me, you would probably be dead right now?"

He runs his hand through his auburn hair, but doesn't say anything, turning his focus to another demon that appears to be devouring a whole family. Gross.

He starts off toward them, but I grab his arm. "Chris, there are way too many of them! There's nothing we can do!" And it's true: there must be five demons for every human in this park, and there are a lot of humans.

He turns back to me wearing his _Alyssa-is-a-stupid-child-who-doesn't-know-anything_ face. I hate that face. "They're attacking the mundanes! I don't know what's happening, but we can't let it continue. We need to stop them, or die trying! It's what we were put on this earth to do!"

I'm about to come up with an angry retort when a flash of orange catches my attention. I turn my head in that direction to see three children in bright orange shirts being chased down by a giant snake-like demon. I scream and point it out to Chris.

"That's not even a demon, Alyssa! It's just a snake! Come on!"

But I'm not listening to him anymore. The demon has now chased the trio into the trees, and I'm running after them, unsure why I feel this urge to protect these particular kids when much worse things are happening to other people right behind me.

I jump over bodies, dodge knives and weave around demons until the grass under my feet turns to gravel. I'm tearing down the road now, ignoring the stitch in my side, aware that the demon has now stopped a few feet in front of me. I can hear voices, but they're not screaming like the others. These kids are brave.

"Ithuriel" I whisper to my seraph blade, and it immediately flares up. I'm glad I remembered its name.

This snake is like no demon I have ever seen before, in books or otherwise. Not only is it huge - its snake tail alone is thicker than I am tall - but at the end facing away from me, where its reptilian head should be, is the head and torso of a woman, hissing at the children and saying a bunch of things I can't quite make out.

I jump into action. While she is distracted with the mundanes, I take two more steps until I am standing right next to it. I plunge my sword into it.

It goes right through without causing any damage. I try again, with the same result. Before I have time to freak out, the woman is facing me, razor-sharp teeth bared and ready to tear me apart.

I hold my useless weapon at chest height, hoping she doesn't notice how scared I am. I'm breathing heavily.

"What are you?" I manage to get out.

The woman laughs. "Does it matter, little shadowhunter?" She speaks in a soft hiss, like a snake, and her words are just the slightest bit slurred. "Monsters, Demons, call us whatever you want, but it won't matter when your precious little humans are all dead and this earth is ruled by the spirits of Tartarus."

I have no idea what this lady is talking about, but I shift my seraph blade to my right hand and take a throwing knife from by belt. I hope this one can hurt her.

She slithers closer to me, until her face is mere inches away from mine. Her breath smells like raw meat and I fight a surge of nausea at the thought of what she must have been eating earlier today. Do demons even eat people?

She reaches out a hand and grabs my chin. "I've never tasted sssshadowhunter before" she hisses.

Apparently this one does.

She opens her mouth to show off her fangs - which are not unlike those of a vampire - and I can tell she's thinking about taking a nice juicy bite of raw Shadowhunter when she stiffens suddenly. I hear a yell from behind her. The demon screams and turns around, bearing down on the teenager now in front of her.

I duck just in time for her serpent tail to fly over my head with enough force to kill me. There's a giant gash somewhere around the middle and it's dripping blood, but appears to be healing. _What is this thing?_

A girl jumps onto the tail, straddling it with her legs, and manages to stay on long enough to stab the demon repeatedly with her sword before she is finally thrown off. She rolls, then runs back to the tail and tries again. The two boys attempt to kill the snake-lady from the head. Since their weapons appear to be working, I run up to the tail and try mine. It goes right through. I try my throwing knife with the same result.

"Get back!" the girl yells at me, "We can handle this!"

I resent the order, especially since _I'm_ the one who came to _their_ rescue, but since there's not much I can do without a weapon, I'm forced to stay on the sidelines. I consider running off to find something I_ can_ fight, but something stops me.

These kids know how to fight and yeah, they could just be teenagers who happen to take swordfighting lessons every once in awhile, but they don't seem at all fazed by this demon. I'd like to talk to them, if only to congratulate them on being more badass than I am without training. (Which shouldn't be hard to do but, hey, I'm a shadowhunter. I should still be more badass than most mundanes, right?)

Besides, now that I think about it, this whole scene is eerily reminiscent of my mother's death five years ago. A demon had attacked me and she'd gotten in the way, but her weapons had gone right through him and…

I see the girl stab the demon through the back one last time and, with a final, inhuman scream, the snake-lady dissolves into dust, just like that other demon from so long ago.

The three teenagers - all approximately my age, I notice - all stare at the remains, and then at each other. I can practically hear their thoughts. They're terrified, wondering what the hell is going on. One of them sways on his feet and has to reach out to steady himself on the other boy's shoulder.

The girl jumps into action immediately. She digs around in her bag and comes up with a small square of cake, which she hands to him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah" He winces and grabs his shoulder, which is covered in blood. It's the tall, fair-haired boy the demon attacked first when she turned away from me. "I think she ate me, though"

I can hear the smile in the girl's voice as she speaks. "Only a little bit"

"Still hurts like-" He trails off as he notices me standing awkwardly on the side.

The others follow his line of sight until there are three pairs of eyes locked on me. I feel my face heat up. I feel like I'm intruding.

"Sorry, I have to go-"

"Wait!" The girl's arm shoots forward as if she can grab me all the way from where she is standing.

She takes a few steps toward me.

"Oh my gods, I am so sorry. I can believe we almost forgot - are you hurt?"

"Not really" I answer truthfully. Besides a few bumps and bruises, I am remarkably unharmed.

"Oh, thank gods," she breathes, and she sounds genuinely relieved, despite the fact that we just met. I decide to try my luck with a question.

"Do you guys, ah, know what that thing was?"

The three teenagers exchange knowing looks. It's the dark-skinned boy standing next to the girl that speaks up.

"Yes," he answers slowly, "do you?"

I hesitate, but shake my head. It's the truth: I really have no idea what just attacked me, and if these kids know what it is, I want to find out.

"But you could see it," he continues, "right?"

The girl pipes up at this "You tried to kill it with that sword of yours, but it went right through, didn't it?"

Well, now I'm screwed. Since I don't yet know for sure what these people are (The only explanation I can come up with is fey), I decide to throw around a few words and see if they catch on.

"I know what a glamour is, if that's what you're asking. And no, I don't usually have so much trouble killing demons." _Actually, I've only every fought one demon before, but this blade seemed to work just fine._

They stare at me blankly.

"What's a glamour? And what do you mean, demon?" The girl asks carefully.

_Okay, so they don't know what glamours are. Or demons. No need to panic yet._

"She called you something, didn't she?" Adds the dark-skinned boy, "A… Shadowhunter?" The word is clearly unfamiliar to him.

I decide to change the subject just slightly. "What are you guys?"

They share another knowing look, and then the girl speaks up. "Ever heard of demigods?"

I shake my head. The name rings a bell, but I can't quite place it.

"But you can see these monsters?"

I nod. She takes in my clothing, my weapons and finally my face. Then she sighs.

"I think you'd better come with us."

I'm tempted to agree. These people are clearly related in some way to the Shadowhunter world, and they obviously know what this snake-lady is. Could they possibly know what the shadowhunters have been so worried about these last few weeks? What this attack means? Or maybe, just maybe, could they know the truth about the demon that killed my mom?

But though I may not be a good shadowhunter, I know enough to recognize a potential trap when I see one. I'm not going off with a bunch of strangers.

"I don't even know your names," I say, "much less what you are, where you come from, how you know all this stuff… you can't just expect me to go with you without an explanation."

"My name is Katia" says the girl. She points to the tall boy with the injured shoulder. "this is Alex, and this is Matt. We're demigods, we come from Long Island, and we are going to explain everything to you, just not here. Do you trust us?"

"No"

"Good. You shouldn't."

I'm taken aback by her answer, but she shoots me a warm smile and holds out her hand.

"I wouldn't trust us either, but I have a feeling you really want answers, and we're your only shot at getting them."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan or Cassandra Clare**

**This chapter was brought to you by my boring civics class and my incredibly talkative civics teacher (don't worry, I'm still a straight-A student). **

* * *

"So where are we going, again?" I ask the three teenagers as we leave Central Park and move toward the city. I didn't notice it so much in the heat of the moment, but I'm really far from home. I must have been running for a good forty-five minutes, and there's no way I can run back to the institute. I can't believe Chris and Jessica do this every day.

"Not here," the girl - Katia, I remember - replies. I shoot her an angry look and she softens slightly. "We'll probably stop to eat somewhere. I'll bet you're hungry, aren't you?"

I nod and realize that I am. It's almost noon, and all that running and fighting has exhausted me.

We walk in heavy silence for a few minutes. Katia leads the way - I notice the others always look to her for instructions - and the boys hang back a bit. Soon, Matt moves to my side and tries to strike up a conversation.

"So, what were you doing in Central Park?" He speaks quietly, and we're at the back of the small group, but I can tell the others are listening intently. I decide to tell the truth, or at least part of it.

"My friends were in trouble and they called me. They knew that I, ah… I take fighting lessons," I make up an explanation on the spot, "and thought I could help protect them. I didn't know how bad it was."

He nods appreciatively and I realize that my cover-up story makes me sound like some courageous hero. I decide it's not a bad thing.

"So, these friends of yours," he says delicately, and I have a feeling I know what's coming. "did they make it?"

"I don't know" I answer, and I feel tears pricking at my eyes as I realize it's true. I honestly don't know if they're alive or not, and that scares me more than I ever thought it would.

"I'm sorry," he adds quickly, noticing my discomfort, "I shouldn't have asked that. It was personal."

"No, it's okay," I shake my head, "honestly. It's just the shock of everything, it's all still fresh in my mind."

"I understand." He takes a deep breath. "Honestly, the worst part is the not knowing whether they're alive or not. I know it might not seem that way, but once you know for sure, you can get on with your life, no matter what happened. If you don't know what happened to them… it's like you can't do anything until you know for sure." At my questioning look, he adds, "my parents are dead."

"Mine too," I say, before fully thinking it through. "I'm sorry."

He shrugs halfheartedly. "I never met my mom. I'm sorry about yours, though."

"Yeah, well I never met my dad, and my mom's been dead five years, so the sting's worn off a bit. I get what you mean, though."

Since I can tell the subject pains him, I ask Katia and Alex where we plan to eat.

Katia jumps. "Oh! Right. Um, the first place we see, I guess. Sorry," she adds.

I shrug nonchalantly and scan the buildings on either side of me for something that looks like a restaurant. The others do the same. I see something that looks promising and try to read the sign, but it's bright red and flashy, and my dyslexia makes the task impossible. I decide to leave it to the others.

Alex notices it first, and points it out. "Hey, what about that place? It looks like a diner."

He looks at the others questioningly and they both stare at the sign for a second, before shaking their heads.

"I can't read it," Matt declares, "What about you, Alyssa?"

I jump. I told them my name awhile ago, but I think it's the first time any of them have addressed me by it. I feel my face heat up.

"Um… no. Sorry. I'm dyslexic," I explain to my feet. I think I might die of embarrassment right here.

Sure enough, Katia and Matt share an amused smile and I'm sure they're making fun of me until Katia speaks up. "That's fine. We all are."

My head shoots up immediately. "You are?"

They all nod at the same time and follow Katia's lead to the front door. I find myself wondering, for the millionth time today, who these people are. The more time I spend with them, the more I'm convinced that they're not involved with the shadowhunter world. But then who could they be?

"Table for four?"

Katia confirms this and an extremely large waitress leads us to a table by the window, away from the other people. The diner is practically empty. It's a bit early for lunch, but the layer of dirt on the floor suggests that this place isn't particularly popular.

I pull out a chair across from Katia. Alex sits to my right, Matt across from him. The waitress sets our menus down in front of us and hurries off to tend to the other customers.

"So," I put my elbows up on the table and lean across to lock eyes with Katia. "I believe you promised me an explanation?"

She sighs and shoots a quick look around the diner, making no one can overhear us. "Fine." She takes a deep breath, as if she's rehearsed this speech hundreds of times before, "But listen carefully, because you're gonna find this stuff pretty hard to believe."

"I think I'll be okay" I interrupt without thinking.

"I'm serious. Don't talk until I'm finished.

"You know the greek gods from the ancient myths?" I nod. "Well, they're real. Except they don't live in Greece anymore, they live here, in America. They travel around to wherever the power is, and at the moment, that's the United States. Mount Olympus? It's on top of the Empire State Building."

I open my mouth to tell her she's crazy, but she continues.

"I'm not done yet." she lowers her voice even more, "Sometimes, the gods have kids with mortals - humans. The result is us. Demigods. We look human, and we're mortal, but we've inherited some, ah, special powers from our godly parents. We're a sort of bridge between the two worlds. The gods use us sometimes to do their dirty work."

I'm about to tell her off, but I close my mouth, rendered speechless at the expressions of the teenagers. I'm half expecting one of them to crack up and tell me it was all just a joke. No one does.

"You guys are serious." Quite frankly, now that the shock's worn off, their story doesn't seem any crazier than the stuff I hear about every day. Okay, so there are officially two magical worlds that, as far as I can tell, don't know anything about each other. Why the hell not?

Katia smiles. "Oh yeah, we are. Every single person at this table is a demigod."

I'm nodding when the last part of her statement sinks in. "Hold on a second, everyone?"

"Well, what did you think you were?" I can hear the smirk in her voice. She clearly lives for this sort of thing.

_Oh, I don't know. Maybe a half-angel warrior put on this earth to rid the world of demons using super-awesome magical tattoos?_ Instead I say, "What makes you think I'm a demigod?"

It's at that very moment that the waitress comes back with a notepad. "Are you guys ready to order?" She asks us, oblivious.

We all jump back from the table and look at our menus, which we haven't touched since she set them down in front of us. Katia points to a random item. "I'll have, um, this please." We all order the same thing, and the waitress disappears again. I notice that she never asks us about drinks. Not that I'm complaining, though. I know we were lucky to have chosen a terrible restaurant with no customers to overhear our conversation.

Once she's out of earshot, I lean back over the table. "Anyways, as I was saying: what makes you think I'm a demigod?"

She smiles like she's keeping a big secret from me and leans across the table as well, so that our faces are inches apart. "You could see the monster that attacked us, right? Only demigods or people with the sight can see through the mist. I thought you might just be a gifted mortal, until you told Matt that you never met your dad. Because he's a god. He left your mother right after you were born, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but that could just be a-"

"Wait, there's more. You're dyslexic, and I'm guessing you're ADHD too?" Her smile widens at my shocked expression, "We all are. It's because our brains are hardwired for ancient greek, so english just doesn't work for us. Your so-called ADHD is just your battle reflexes."

I shake my head, perplexed. "That's… impossible."

"Nope. Totally possible." She takes in my expression and sighs. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but trust me. You'll get used to it. It's not a bad life, really. At least a lot better than being chased down by monsters all the time." Matt snorts and she corrects herself, "Okay, so you still get attacked by monsters, but at least you know how to defend yourself. And we have this place called Camp Half-Blood where they can't bother you."

How can I make them understand? I know I'm not a… a demigod because I know for sure that I'm something else entirely. Something that they don't know about. I know it's too dangerous to tell them about it, so I pretend to believe them. I sigh. "Okay. I guess you're right."

Katia beams and sits back in the booth. "So it's settled then," she says, "we'll take you to camp half-blood once we're finished eating: it's not too far away and we can rent a car or something. We're pretty much done with our quest, anyway."

_Wait… what?_ "Woah, woah, woah hold on a minute," I put my hand up to signal for them to stop talking. "I never said anything about coming to this camp with you guys."

They all stare at me uncomprehendingly, until Matt speaks up. "Why wouldn't you go?" He says, "It's the only safe place for demigods. Trust me, you'll love it there."

I try to come up with a legitimate reason for not wanting to go, but I have trouble thinking of anything that they would understand. "I can't just leave my friends," I finally say, "Or what little family I have left. What would they think?"

Katia shifts nervously in her seat. "You know we've all been through this, right? We've all had to leave our families, but we do see them every once in awhile. They're usually glad we've safe and happy at camp. Do you have any way of contacting your friends? You could just tell them you're going to a camp or boarding school or something."

Since I still can't come up with a good enough excuse, I obediently take my cellphone out of my pocket. My heart just about stops when I turn it on: I have seventeen new messages from Jessica.

For a split second, I feel overwhelming relief that she's alive. Then I read the messages.

"Where r u?"

"Battle is over. Come back 2 park."

"Srsly, where r u?"

"Sent out search party. Come back soon."

"Can u at least answer me?"

"Couldn't find u. Assumed dead."

"Ud better not be dead"

"Going back to institute. Come back b4 ur funeral"

"Chris says u ran off"

"He says u ran away to help kids who weren't even in danger"

"btw that's not ur job"

"U can come back now. Demons are gone btw"

"We took care of them without u"

"Nice 2 know what ur like in battle"

"I can't believe u abandoned us"

"I knew I shouldnt have called u"

"Wow. Some shadowhunter"

I press the power button on my phone and slide it back into my pocket. "On second thought," I say, "I think they'll understand."

The others look at me suspiciously, but thankfully, they don't say anything. And then finally,

"Does that thing actually work?" Katia asks me, "I'm just wondering because our don't. They go haywire around demigods, and attract monsters. In fact, you might want to throw that thing away the next chance you get.

"Good idea." I won't be needing it anyway. We descend into silence.

_Some shadowhunter._ I know Jessica doesn't really mean it, but it still stings. She has a tendency to say things like that when she's angry, which she undoubtedly is right now, considering how much she hates people who run away from a fight. She has reason to think I'm a terrible shadowhunter, even if what I I did back at Central Park was probably the most heroic and courageous thing I've ever done in my life. I could easily go back to the Institute right now and explain everything to the others, and they'd probably understand, but what would that do? Return things to normal? Ever since I met these people a few hours ago, I've started to realize that 'normal' might not be what I want.

If these people are telling the truth, which I think they are, they're ADHD, dyslexic, and yet still elite warriors. They're trapped between two worlds they don't belong in, and yet they've managed to create their own society. They were nice to me, a perfect stranger, when my own kind would have been rude and judgmental. Even if I'm not one of them, I want to learn more about this world, and I want to be a part of it. I have a feeling they'll accept me.

The waitress returns with our food, sooner than I expected. She sets down a bowl of soup in front of each of us, and smiles slyly. "Enjoy your meals!"

Matt stands up suddenly, his chair making an ugly screeching noise against the floor.

"Don't eat it!" He practically yells. I freeze with my spoon already halfway to my mouth.

The waitress' face shows only extreme shock. "Why wouldn't they eat the food?" She inquires innocently, "It's the best dish we have, I assure you!"

Alex stands up as well. Katia follows him. Feeling left out, I get to my feet too. "You poisoned the food," Matt explains, "didn't you? It's not supposed to look like that," I realize that the soup is bubbling and steaming, "but it was the smell that tipped me off. You should really be more subtle the next time you try to kill a bunch of demigods.

"Not that there will be a next time"

Right on que, Katia steps forward and drives her bronze sword into the lady's gut, and twists. She screams in agony. Then she looks Katia right in the eye.

"You'll never win," she chokes out, "my master will destroy every last one of you until only those loyal to him are left. You will die, demigods, even if I'm not the one to kill you."

She dissolves into dust, just like that other monster from earlier today. The sword clatters to the ground.

"What was she?" I ask.

"No idea," Katia replies, picking up her sword, "but we'd better get out of here."

We hurry out, hoping she was the only monster in the diner, but no such look. An enormous man in an apron, obviously the cook, blocks the doorway. Without hesitation, Alex stabs him through the chest and he, too, dissolves into dust. We run over his body and into the street.

It isn't until we're a block away that we allow ourselves to stop and catch our breaths.

"That was way too easy," Alex says, and the others crack up. I don't quite get the joke. I found that whole adventure pretty terrifying and not easy at all, but I guess they're used to this kind of thing.

We eat at a fast food restaurant because we're still hungry, and then Katia leads us in the direction of what she believes is a car rental place. I'm not sure why a car rental place would rent out a vehicle to a group of teenagers barely over sixteen, neither of whom carry any kind of ID, but I decide to just go with it, as long as they don't plan to get the car in the same way they got out of the diner.

**A/N: Please leave a review! I should have the next chapter up in a little over a week (though I shouldn't make any promises), but I still love all the support I get. You guys are awesome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan or Cassandra Clare**

* * *

Katia's car rental place turns out to be fairly close to the diner, but after a full day of travelling long distances on foot, I'm ready to collapse from exhaustion by the time we get there. It's a run-down place with fading paint that I wouldn't normally spare a second glance if I walked past it. The cars in the parking lot don't look like they could last the drive to Long Island without breaking down, but I guess that will work in our favour if it makes the owner more likely to give us one.

Katia marches in first and steps up to the front desk as if she has every right to be there and the thin, wiry man behind the desk has no reason to question her. I suddenly realize that she's actually the shortest person in our little group, even though she disguises it with the way she carries herself.

"We'd like to rent a car," she says, jutting her chin into the air and deposing a handful of bills on the table.

"ID please," the man drawls lazily, not turning away from his computer.

Matt steps up beside her. "She said," he snaps his fingers and speaks with more authority than I thought he was capable of, "that we'd like to rent a car."

The man's face clouds over and his eyes go out of focus. "Yes," he mutters, "yes, of course you can do that."

"Free of charge," Matt adds.

"Of course."

He opens a drawer and searches around for a minute, then comes up with a single key and hands it to Matt, who passes it wordlessly to Alex, who leaves the small building to search for the car.

Matt turns back to the dealer. "We were never here," he says, "you've never seen our faces before. Your car was bought by a company for spare parts this morning."

The man nods dumbly and collapses, face down, on his desk. Katia and Matt run out the door and I follow them.

"Nice one!" Katia gives Matt a huge high-five. "That was awesome! When did you get so good at manipulating the mist?"

He doesn't have time to answer, because right at that moment, Alex pulls up in a silver minivan that doesn't look quite as beat up as the others and motions for us to hop in.

I climb in the back and Matt sits to my right, while Katia takes the passenger seat.

Once we leave the parking lot, I speak up for the first time.

"What did you do back there?"

Katia turns around in her seat and flashes a huge smile in her friend's direction.

"It's called the mist," she answers for him, "it's what hides our world from the mortals. The gods, as well as some demigods, know how to manipulate it, so that they can convince the mortals of just about anything. It's super cool! I had no idea Matt had gotten so good at it." She reaches over and punches him good-naturedly on the shoulder.

"I've been studying it for awhile," he explains modestly, "I read about it in a few books and the concept has always fascinated me. A few more experienced demigods taught me, and I've been practicing on my own or with Katia. Honestly, I'm surprised I was able to do all that myself. Katia has the personality for it, not me."

She shrugs. "It's not my style. My dad is Ares, the war god, so my strategies are usually more along the lines of 'cut down everything in our path,'" she explains.

Matt snorts at that. "You forgot the part where we 'improvise' and end up trapped on a deserted island with no way off until I come up with a-"

"That was one time!" She sputters.

"It was a whole lot more than one time!"

Katia leans over to hit him again and they're both laughing over some adventure they must have had years ago.

"Give me some slack! Not everyone's mom is the goddess of wisdom!"

"Yeah, but there's a difference between superior wisdom and not being able to tell a good plan from a suicide mission!"

"Humph." She turns back around in her seat, and I turn to face Matt.

"So your godly parent is… Athena?"

He smiles and nods. "Yeah, and Katia's is Ares, and Alex's is Hephaestus. You wondering who yours is?"

"Um… yeah," I lie.

"Don't worry about it. He'll claim you before too long, and we'll probably figure it out eventually. In the meantime, you can stay in the Hermes cabin."

I nod, wondering how long it will take for them to figure out that I'm not actually a demigod. i decide to change the subject. "So you guys have known each other for a long time?"

Matt beams. "Yeah, Katia and I have been best friends for about… eight years now?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Alex has been on one other quest with us, too," he adds, "I don't know how he deals with us."

"I feel like a babysitter every time I get put with them," Alex pipes up, "stop fighting and listen to me! No, Katia, you can't bring your sword into this store. Why don't we make a plan before rushing into battle, okay?"

I find myself laughing along with them this time.

"So, what's this camp like anyway?"

Matt sinks back in his seat. "It's one of only two safe places for demigods in North America. There's a barrier around it so that monsters can't get through. Sometimes when something important happens that concerns the gods, they call on us to help them out."

It sounds quite a bit like the Institute, with the magical barrier and all the saving the world. Funny.

"We spend a lot of time training," he adds, "with weapons and stuff. We also have the most epic climbing wall you've ever seen in your life."

"It sounds cool,"

"It is! I'm sure you'll love it. We have pegasi, too, and we play capture the flag every once in awhile. It's a great place."

"You said something about Hermes before. Is that who you think my godly parent is?"

"Not necessarily," he answers, "I was just saying that you'll be put in the Hermes cabin at first, because it's where all the new demigods go, since he's the god of travelers. We have a cabin for each-"

The car jerks violently to the right and I hit my head, hard, against the window. I feel Matt's weight thrown against me as the vehicle lurches to the side. It tips to one side on two wheels and I'm sure it's about to flip over completely, trapping us inside, when it slams down suddenly and I bite down hard on my tongue at the jarring impact as my weight is thrown in the other direction.

"What the hell was- Oh my gods."

On shaking legs, I pull myself up using the back of the seat in front of me to get a better view of the scene in front of us.

In the cloud of dust raised by Alex's sudden turn is a dragon straight out of a mythology book. The reptilian head, the scaly body, the huge tail, and definitely the size - it's all there and looming over us.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Katia moans in front of me, "We can never catch a break, can we?"

"It's probably me," I joke halfheartedly, "I'm always getting my friends into trouble."

"Well, what do we do?" Alex looks over to Katia, who promptly opens her door and steps out, bronze sword in hand, to face the monster.

"Hey, ugly!" She yells, "Why don't you come over here?"

Matt curses as the dragon advances on her, breathing fire (oh yeah, it can do that too) in front of him. "She is such an idiot."

He, too, jumps out of the car to stand beside his friend, sword in hand.

Alex groans audibly. "Well, I guess we're following these idiots, eh Alyssa? You coming"

"Umm…" I look down at the seraph blade resting on my knees. It clearly didn't work on the other monster.

Alex slaps his forehead. "I forgot! Your mortal weapon doesn't work, does it? I'm so sorry." He digs around at his feet and comes up with a small knife, which he offers to me.

"I always carry an extra knife with me. You any good?"

I think of my disastrous knife throwing session this morning - was it only this morning? - and shrug. "I'm okay."

He smiles reassuringly. "That means you're good. 'Okay' always means good."

_Not in my case,_ I think, but I step out of the vehicle to face the monster.

It's chasing Katia right now, as she runs up and down the road and skillfully dives out of the way whenever it comes too close to her. Whenever she gets the chance, she yells something incomprehensible at the dragon, which only seems to infuriate him even more.

Meanwhile, Matt is circling behind the monster, looking for an opportunity to jump in and attack while trying not to reveal his presence.

Alex is running to join him, and I'm trying to figure out which of my options would be the most effective. I need to help - even if I never fought alongside the Shadowhunters, their training taught me certain values that aren't forgotten easily, not the least of which says that all shadowhunters should fight if they are able to. Exactly the one Jessica thinks I disregarded back in Central Park.

No. I'm not sitting this one out.

Without thinking about what I'm about to do, I clutch my knife and sprint toward the monster, emboldened by the adrenaline pumping through my veins, and by the comfort of finally holding a functional weapon. Soon, I can feel the heat of the flames and of the Dragon's scales, and I throw my left arm over my face.

I realize quickly that my plan is incredibly stupid. My small knife isn't going to do anything against dragon hide. Even Alex and Matt are having trouble doing any damage with their swords. I'm going to get myself killed if I honestly try to fight the monster with this thing.

I guess there's only one other option, then. I drive my knife into the monster's hide over and over again until it takes a giant step away from me.

"Hey! Over here!"

It turns its head around to face me and breathes fire - straight onto Matt, who was standing a few feet away from me and now finds himself directly in the line of fire.

I scream, but I don't have time to see if he's okay because the monster has now turned his attention to me.

I dive out of the way just in time to avoid the wall of fire, though I have a feeling my leather gear saves my butt in this case. I roll to avoid a second assault and stand on shaky legs to face the monster, who is now towering over me. I certainly have his undivided attention now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Katia advancing on the dragon, sword in hand. She puts a finger to her lips.

Now if I can just keep it busy for a few more seconds...

I brace myself for another fire attack, but I guess the monster is out of breath or something because he takes a second to size me up, and I jump at the opportunity.

"Who are you?" I ask him. I've learned from Chris and Jessica's stories that that's kind of the go-to thing with bad guys when you want to buy yourself time. Just make small talk, get acquainted and then BAM! Dead.

This monster apparently doesn't speak English. It cocks its head and stares blankly at me. Okay, empty stares are better than incinerating me. I can do this.

"Do you even understand me? I asked for your name."

The dragon stretches his head out toward me until I can smell his meaty breath (I try not to think about what kind of meat he's been eating). Just as I'm certain he's about to gobble me up on the spot, I see his nostrils flare. Then - Oh god - his tongue comes out to lick his lips.

I can't breathe. _Now would be a pretty good time, Katia,_ I think. But since the dragons's head does not immediately disconnect from his body, I assume she's taking her time.

"So, uh," I try to think of another line of conversation now that I know this dragon will not answer me - at least not using actual words. "My name's Alyssa. How are you doing?" I hold out my hand instinctively, then quickly draw it back, "On second thought, no offense, but I'd kind of rather you not touch me.

"Umm… so you've been busy, huh? Coming back from the dead, eating humans, the whole thing. I'll bet you're stuffed. You really, really do not want to eat us. We taste terrible."

At the word eat, he perks up and sucks in a breath, drawing his head back just slightly. I can tell he's getting ready to cook me alive. Stupid dragon with his limited vocabulary.

Katia chooses that moment to bring her sword down, hard, on the dragon's neck. It easily severs and the head rolls onto the ground, landing at my feet. The rest of the body dissolves.

"That is so gross! Why didn't the head disappear?"

"Spoils of war," Katia explains, "you can keep it if you want." She cracks a smile at my horrified expression. "Or not."

"I'll go with 'or not'."

She turns serious as she notices Matt still lying on the ground, his clothes singed. I can't tell how bad the burns are from this distance, but my stomach drops into my feet as Katia runs over to join him and Alex. What if he's dead and it's all my fault? What if he's seriously injured? What if they abandon me on the side of the road and I have to find my way back to the Institute and my friends who are all mad at me?

Relief washes over me as I see him sit up and say something to Katia, who gives him small square of what looks like cake from his backpack.

I'm near tears as I approach them, Katia skillfully wrapping a bandage around his arm.

"I'm so sorry!" I sob, "it's my fault he got hurt! If I'd just stopped to think before acting, I could have avoided this whole thing!"

Katia waves her hand dismissively in my direction. "Oh, that kind of stuff happens all the time, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, I've suffered much worse at her hands," Matt pipes up, "and I'll be fine in a few days, anyway. This stuff-" he holds out the last bite of cake - "it's ambrosia, it heals demigods. My arm got the worst of it, but I'll be good as new in no time."

I still can't believe they forgave me so easily, but at their encouragement, I follow the trio back to the car, which has suffered quite a bit of damage at the hands - or rather, breath - of the monster.

"We're not far," Alex announces as we all pile in, "we're more than halfway there."

Most of the drive continues in silence. Matt and Katia keep up a friendly banter for awhile, but eventually even they give in to exhaustion. I wouldn't have thought it possible.

After about a half hour or driving, we pull up at the base of a hill.

"We're here!" Alex announces, and starts checking his backpack to make sure he has everything. I hand him the knife he gave me.

"What do you mean, we're here? I don't see anything."

"It's over the hill," he explains, "past the tree. There's an invisible barrier that keeps monsters and mortals out." My stomach does a flip at that. What if I can't even pass through the barrier because I'm not a demigod? Then they'll know for sure.

Everyone is piling out of the car, and I'm forced to follow them. We race up the hill and then suddenly I'm at the top, looking down on a beautiful valley. There's a tree off to my left, with a dragon guarding it. I guess the barrier let me pass after all.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," Katia whispers.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, I would like to thank my civics teacher for being so talkative. I honestly wouldn't have been able to update so quickly if it weren't for her (I average about 500 words per class).**

**But a much bigger thank you goes out to everyone who reviewed or followed this story. You guys really made my week!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I am (unfortunately) not Rick Riordan or Cassandra Clare**

Camp Half-Blood is the most amazing place I have ever been to. The hill that I'm standing on overlooks a beautiful valley full of kids in orange shirts just like Katia, Matt and Alex's. Some of them practice swordfighting, while others play volleyball, and still more ride pegasi around the area.

The other Shadowhunters used to always tell me stories about Idris and how beautiful it is, how it's home for every shadowhunter, but those same descriptions can easily apply to this camp, despite how different they must be. Camp Half-Blood feels like home. It feels safe, inclusive and fun, even though a little voice in my head keeps reminding me that I don't belong here. I silence it for the time being.

I realize suddenly that the others are already making their way down the hill while I'm standing here gaping at the sight in front of me, so I run down to catch up to them.

"We're going to the big house," Matt explains, "Mr.D and Chiron will want to know what happened. And that you're here, of course."

I don't bother asking who Mr.D and Chiron are, because I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

I get more than a few stares as I walk through camp with them, and I look down self-consciously at my outfit. I stick out like a sore thumb among all the orange shirts, with my heavy leather gear. Not for the first time, I worry about how I'll fit in here with all my shadowhunter training and knowledge. I'm sure they have different beliefs, traditions, fighting styles. How can they expect me to fit in here when I still haven't gotten the hang of all the shadowhunter stuff?

We arrive at what must be the "big house", and I try in vain to arrange my hair while Katia knocks. What if they send me away? What if these people take one look at me and immediately know that I'm not a demigod?

The door opens of its own accord to reveal two men sitting at a table playing some kind of card game. One is a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. The other, who glares at us as we enter the house, wears a very loud hawaiian shirt.

"Katarina," the man in the wheelchair greets. Katia winces at his use of what must be her full name, "please take a seat, all of you."

The other move to sit down, and I'm relieved to see that they look almost as nervous as I feel. I follow them and pull out a chair.

"Did you learn anything interesting?" The man asks. The guy in the hawaiian shirt just sits there looking bored.

"Yes," Katia replies, "well… sort of. There were monsters everywhere, attacking the mortals, but we still don't know why or who's behind it." She shoots me a glance. "And, ah, we also found another demigod. This is Alyssa."

All eyes turn to me and I feel like disappearing through the floorboards. "I… umm…" I'm sure my face is bright red.

"Hello, Alyssa," he says patiently. "Would you mind telling us how you found these three?"

I clear my throat and try to get my lips to move. "Ummm…. well, I was in Central Park," I start, "and there were all these de- I mean, monsters all over the place. I saw this monster chasing them and I thought I'd follow and help them out. I take fight classes, so I kind of know how to use a sword and I figured I could help them. But my sword didn't work and… well, yeah." I finished lamely.

The man in the wheelchair doesn't look convinced. "And why did you have your sword with you?"

"Oh, I was there because my friends were in trouble and called me. So I brought my sword with me when I went after them."

He still looks suspicious, but thankfully doesn't prod any further. "Thank you, Alyssa. I don't suppose you know who your godly parent is?" I shake my head. "That's understandable. Matthew, why don't you go and show Alyssa around?" I'll talk to the rest of you for awhile."

Matt gets up and I follow him out the door.

"Sorry about that," he says once it closes behind us, "I know it's intimidating at first. You get used to it. Sort of."

I laugh halfheartedly.

"So I guess I'll show you around?" I nod in answer and we head off toward a collection of buildings straight ahead of us that seems to be the central area of the camp.

"These are the cabins," Matt explains, "One for each Olympian god, and a bunch of new ones for the minor gods. We had to build them a few years ago because of this deal with the gods."

"What kind of deal was it?"

He sighs. "I wasn't at camp then, but apparently it used to be that the children of the minor gods were never claimed and stuffed into the Hermes cabin. But this hero, a guy called Percy Jackson, helped win a big titan war and the gods were, understandably, grateful. He asked them to pay more attention to their children and claim them more quickly. This was part of the deal."

"Huh. That's cool."

"Yeah. Well, that's the Hermes cabin, anyway," he points to one of the buildings, "do you want to settle in now, or should I show you the rest of the camp first? Come to think of it, I probably should have left this for last."

"Let's continue," I decide, not yet ready to meet my new cabinmates.

He shrugs. "Fine by me. Here, let's go this way."

We go off a few metres to the left, toward something that looks like an ancient greek fighting arena, where they held duels to the death for the entertainment of the public.

"Um… you don't actually hold duels here anymore, do you?"

Matt sees my serious expression and laughs out loud. "No, not anymore. We hold a few challenges here every once in awhile, but they're not to the death- at least not on purpose. We do have a few accidents every once in awhile - oh, don't give me that look! This place is perfectly safe, I promise."

"So this place just stays here and nobody uses it except for your challenges?"

"Oh, we usually hold fighting lessons here too - and stop looking so horrified! You'll do fine! I don't know what it is about you and your lack of confidence."

"I'm horrified because this place keeps getting more and more dangerous and you act like it's no big deal!"

He's still laughing. "Okay, so camp is a little bit dangerous, but we need to learn how to defend ourselves. Besides, we don't get that many deaths here, and it's a whole lot safer than the outside world."

"Fair enough." I'm not sure why I'm acting so surprised that this place is dangerous. I expected as much, but I guess the general attitude of the demigods, so much happier and more fun-loving than that of the shadowhunters, threw me off. They don't act like people who put their lives at risk on a daily basis protecting humanity.

Next, we visit the armoury, where Matt gives me a brief overview of the various weapons and armour inside. Though a few are different from the traditional shadowhunter weapons, I recognize most of them.

"We'll have to get you something in Celestial Bronze, since none of your weapons will work on monsters," he's saying. "Here. How about this one?"

He hands me a small bronze sword, a bit shorter and thinner than my seraph blade. I take it from him and find it surprisingly light. I can picture myself learning to wield this thing.

"Thanks," I say, handing it back to him. He shakes his head.

"Keep it. Every demigod should have a proper weapon. You'll need it for swordfighting and stuff."

He hands me a scabbard, which I attach around my waist. I slide the sword into it with ease, not bothering to disguise my relative comfort around weapons, considering I told them I took fighting lessons.

We leave the armory and he points out the nearby forge, explaining that the Hephaestus kids work there - yes, including Alex. We wander over to the strawberry fields, tended by the Demeter kids and often sold to mortals, and find ourselves at the Pegasus stables. We don't spend much time there, just long enough for him to point out the more important pegasi. He explains that I'll probably get to learn to ride them at some point while I'm figuring out what I'm good at. I've only ridden once, and that was a pony ride my mom brought me to when I was little.

Next is the north woods, which Matt explains is the site of most games and challenges, such as Capture the Flag. He points out something called "Zeus' Fist", which just looks like a pile of rocks to me, but I don't mention it.

It's a long walk to the mess hall, back the way we came along the woods. Matt waves to just about every group of demigods we pass, all of them playing some sort of game or practicing their fighting. I wonder if, in a few weeks, I might find myself among them. No. I can't imagine that.

Next we get to the mess hall, which is basically like a giant cafeteria, just outside. I ask him what they do when it rains, since there isn't a roof.

"Oh, it never rains here unless the gods are mad at us. They keep the weather nice all the time."

This place just keeps getting better and better.

"Anyways," he continues, "the tables are organized the same way as the cabins - by godly parents. The Hermes table is over there."

I take in the sheer size of the mess hall. "How do they make enough food for everyone?"

"Oh, they don't. We have these magical plates that make whatever food you want appear instantly. It's pretty cool."

I stare at him incredulously. "You're kidding me."

He grins. "Nope. I told you this place was awesome! C'mon, I'll show you the climbing wall."

We have to walk past a path that leads to the beach, where they apparently have fireworks occasionally. Matt explains that it you take the path in the opposite direction, you get to the canoe lake, which I'll probably get a chance to try out soon if my godly parent doesn't claim me within the next few days. _Which he won't,_ I remind myself, _because he doesn't exist._

It turns out Matt wasn't lying when he said the climbing wall was the most epic I have ever seen. It's also far and away the most dangerous, as it shakes and spits lava if you take too long, but I'm quickly figuring out that the demigods don't usually think about that kind of stuff when considering their facilities. Any comparisons these guys may have with the shadowhunters completely disappear when it comes to child safety.

He then shows me the giant amphitheater, which is currently empty, though he promises I'll get to see more of it at the gathering tonight.

"What do you guys even do here?" I try to imagine the demigods having a serious discussion like the ones I was always left out of at the institute, but the picture just doesn't fit.

"Oh, sing campfire songs and stuff."

I nearly burst out laughing. Of course they do! Just imagine a gathering of nephilim doing the same thing! I'm having trouble taking this camp seriously, and everyone else's attitude towards it is only making things worse. They all seem to be under the impression that this is a serious, intense training camp. Ha! I guess it might seem that way when it's the only kind they've ever known, but this seems like a vacation after the rigours of life as a shadowhunter, despite how dangerous it might be. Still, I like it.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. What's this place up ahead?" We're nearing a building near the big house and the volleyball court.

"The arts and crafts building."

This time, I can't suppress an unattractive snort of laughter.

"Seriously, what are you laughing at?"

I finally crack up. "It's just.." I struggle to breathe between fits of giggles, "You guys are all so serious about this stuff and how intense and dangerous it is, but singing? Arts and crafts? Not exactly how you'd picture a group of elite warriors."

He furrows his brow in concentration. "But… I don't get it. You were just talking about how dangerous it was, and now you're saying that we're not serious?

I quickly backpedal. "Oh, I didn't mean to insult you or anything. It's just… you know how I took fighting lessons before… they never did anything fun, they were always so dedicated to training and stuff…"

"Huh." He contemplates this. "I guess I see you point. That place you went to doesn't sound like much fun, though."

"Trust me, it isn't." The phrase slips out before I have a chance to think, and I immediately slap my hand over my mouth. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

I feel bad about saying something negative about my kind, but the thing that makes me feel the most guilty is the realization that it's true. I like camp half-blood. I like it even better than the shadowhunter world, and I don't even belong here.

We're back at the big house now, and Matt hands me an orange camp half-blood t-shirt, as well as a pair of shorts.

"These should fit you. I'm guessing you know the way to the cabins by now?" I nod. "Great. Hermes cabin, don't forget. And be at the mess hall on time. I'm gonna go see the others"

I thank him and take off back toward the cabin, all the while wondering where the others might be and why they didn't invite me to hang out with them. I know they probably wanted to let me settle in first, but after years of exclusion this reminder that they have other friends besides me stings, especially since I'd finally thought I'd found friends here.

I wonder how many other people there will be in my cabin. Matt said it's not as full as it used to be, but how full was it before? How much space will I have to myself? I mentally run through what I know about Hermes; I know that he's the god of a whole lot of stuff, like travellers and thieves. Not exactly the kind of people I'd like to share a room with during my time here.

I'm on the doorstep now. I take a deep breath, gather my courage, and step into the cabin.

I'm met with stares from everyone in the room, as a very large group of people stop what they're doing to examine the new kid. I feel my face heat up and I shift nervously on my feet.

"Um… hi?"

I look around for a bathroom of some sort and my eyes finally fall upon a door off to my right. I start to slowly inch my way in that direction. Finally, one girl stands up and takes a step toward me, extending her hand.

"Hey, I'm Jamie."

"Alyssa," I answer, taking her hand.

She turns to face the group. "Be nice to Alyssa, okay? No pranks, no stealing, nothing of the sort. Understood?"

They all nod comprehendingly, undoubtedly used to getting new kids all the time. Still, the fact that she still had to remind them makes me nervous.

I dart into the bathroom and lock the door, then change as quickly as I possibly can, sure that someone is about to pick the lock or something. I fold up by gear with my weapons strategically hidden between the folds of the fabric, and hope I'll be able to find a good hiding place for them. I don't trust these people.

Chaos has resumed as I step out of the small room and Jamie points me in the direction of an empty bunk. Kids are yelling, playing pranks on each other, and jumping around on the bunks. Of course I got put with the crazy people.

When I don't think anyone is looking, I stash my gear underneath my mattress. Well, what do I do now? I watch the others, until a few of them start filing out of the cabin. One person tells me that we're going to the mess hall and motions for me to follow him.

I look around for Katia, Matt and Alex as we step out of the cabin and make our way toward the mess hall, but I don't see them. Not that it would make a difference anyway: I have to sit at the Hermes table with my new cabinmates.

Matt wasn't kidding about the magic plates. I sit with a group of girls I don't know the names of who seem nice enough, and almost as soon as they sit down, they immediately say the name of whatever food they feel like eating into their plates. I try the same thing, and it works for me too.

I eat in silence. The Hermes kids are especially chatty, and the girls I'm sitting with try to include me in their conversation, but I stick to short answers and don't try to join in. These people are nice, but it's all a bit much.

The warn me not to finish my meal. Apparently, we need to send a small sacrifice to the gods, because they like the smell. I seems weird to me, but I follow along and don't question it.

It's already getting dark when we start heading off in the direction of the amphitheater. This day seems to have taken forever, and I'm already ready to sleep, but I follow the others and sit down in their group, still looking around for my friends. I finally spot Katia and Matt sitting together across from me, and wave at them, which they return.

We start off with a campfire song I don't know, so I clap along and smile as the others sing. It seems vaguely familiar, like a weird variation on a popular mundane song I might have heard as a kid.

Once we're done, a redheaded girl stands up and talks for a bit about mortals and monsters and stuff, but I'm so tired by this point that I completely zone out. Thankfully, she doesn't attempt to introduce me to the others, so I don't have a chance to embarrass myself.

The campfire is very nice. The height and colour changes according to the energy of the campers and the volume of the songs. Finally, it dies down and we start filing out toward our cabins. It's not too late, but I've had a long day and I can hardly stay on my feet as half-sleepwalk back to the Hermes cabin.

I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.

**A/N: I want to warn everyone that I probably won't find quite as much time to write in the coming months. My extracurricular activities are piling up at the same time as my homework. It's usually November (oh gods I hate that month) that everything gets really crazy and stressful, but it seems like that stuff is starting early this year. Wish me luck!**

**Also, since I probably won't get the next chapter up before then, ENJOY THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS EVERYONE AHHHH IT'S SO SOON!**


	6. Chapter 6

It isn't until the next morning, lying in bed well before any of my cabin mates are awake, that the crushing realization sets in and I'm seized by sudden, suffocating panic.

What am I doing here?

I sit up abruptly and look around the cabin. Oh my god. Oh my god. What have I done? The others are probably planning my funeral right now, while I'm sitting here enjoying the comforts of a camp that I will never belong in!

What was I thinking? I'll have to leave this place once they figure out I'm not a demigod, and then what? Go back to my friends, who think I'm dead and whom I've already pushed away? Who think I'm a traitor and a coward? Who I've just now realized aren't all that great anyway?

Deep breaths. I sink back down into my pillows and try to think of a plan. These people are nice. I have nowhere to go anymore, so surely they'll help me figure something out and let me stay a little longer. Right?

"Alyssa?"

I whip my head to the side, where a little girl, about ten years old, whose name I can't remember, is staring at me from the next bunk.

"Are you okay?"

"Um… Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry. It was nothing. I'm fine."

I get up and gather my clothes from yesterday, resolving to spend the day at this camp, and figure something out from there.

* * *

I've calmed down considerably after a few hours and a good breakfast. Though I still feel overwhelmed on occasion by the speed at which everything has been happening, and I keep thinking about the shadowhunters at the institute, Katia and Matt quickly help me relax and enjoy the atmosphere. They suggest that I try out a bunch of different things on my first day so as to get an idea of my strengths and weaknesses. I'm pretty sure I already know what those are (nothing and everything, respectively), but I agree anyway and cautiously join the Hermes kids, who tell me that, thankfully, I don't necessarily have to stick with them all day.

We start out with swordfighting, naturally. I forget my sword in the cabin, so I have to run back and get it (so much for setting a good impression), but thankfully no one mentions it or laughs at me. I never would have heard the end of it at the institute.

Once I get back, the other kids have paired up and begun sparring. I end up with a small girl who doesn't look like much, but beats me pretty handily more than once. It's kind of embarrassing, especially considering my background, but I remind myself that she's probably been doing this for a pretty long time too.

Looking around, these kids are pretty good fighters, which is kind of scary, but I guess the Ares kids must be even better, because once they arrive, there's a lot of nervous whispering and shifting. I quickly spot Katia, apparently the head of her cabin, and she comes over to help me fight.

Greek swordfighting is interesting. It's a lot less structured than the shadowhunter style, and requires you to think on your feet and go with your gut most of the time. Back home, we always practiced certain moves until we perfected them, but here they pretty much just give me a sword and tell me to wing it. As daunting as that approach may be, I like it.

During one of our short breaks, Katia comes over to pat me on the shoulder.

"You're doing pretty well for a newbie."

I grin at her. "Thanks. I did tell you I'd taken fighting lessons."

"Well, they taught you well, then. How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, actually," I'm surprised to find that it's the truth, "I don't think I've ever concentrated on one thing for this long before. Usually I'm too ADHD for training."

I laugh, but Katia furrows her brow. "What do you mean, too ADHD? You know we're all ADHD here. It's our battle instincts, they help us."

I'm confused by her statement. "What do you mean 'help us'? ADHD is basically the main reason I've been a total dunce at fighting my whole life."

Did I say that last part out loud? I didn't mean to say that out loud.

Katia looks thoughtful for a moment. "That's weird. I guess they've been training you wrong. Anyway, keep up the good work! I'll be back in a minute, I'm just going to go check on the other campers."

* * *

I spend the rest of the day with my cabin mates, because what would I do alone anyway? I get to know some of them, as they prove exceptionally friendly despite the fact that I don't exactly make much of an effort to engage them in conversation.

Nothing really sticks. I almost die on the climbing wall when I don't get to the top fast enough and panic when the thing starts shaking uncontrollably. I fall pretty hard, though thankfully(?) not from very high up.

The others try to hide their smiles, but I can tell they're amused by my failure. Somehow, I don't mind that much, especially since they're nice about it, and I must admit it was probably pretty funny for them.

One guy suggests I try something a little less physically demanding, which I didn't think existed at this camp, and I agree wholeheartedly.

I should have known then that he would bring me to the only non-physical thing an insanely dangerous camp would have, and something I am all to familiar with from my life at the institute: healing.

I hate healing. It has nothing to do with the practice itself, or even my competence at it (which is surprisingly good), it's completely about what it now means to me after being forced into it with the shadowhunters. I always wanted to fight, but they kept leaving me to care for the wounded instead. Now, having failed to do something that might help me in battle, they send me back to that station again. It's infuriating and embarrassing.

But of course, I don't say this. I smile and take the advice of the Apollo kids, retaining what little information I don't already know, and help them out as they heal the few wounded in the hospital.

"Hey, you're pretty good at this," one kid remarks.

I feel my face heat up. "Oh, thanks. I've done a bit of this stuff before, though," I answer modestly.

"Hey, do you know who your godly parent is yet?"

My blush deepens as I can feel even more eyes on me. _Nobody,_ I think. "Uh, no. No idea."

She thinks this over. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say Apollo. You've got a real knack for this kind of stuff."

I know for sure that he's not, but I just shrug, unable to think of a good enough answer.

After about an hour, we stop for lunch, and they we head back out to the canoe lake. I've never canoed before, or been on any kind of boat really, and, surprise surprise, I suck at it. Honestly, the only reason I don't tip the boat is because I'm not alone. I takes me about five minutes to figure out that I am not, and never will be, cut out for the navy. Or anything to do with water, really.

I try everything camp half-blood has to offer, and find nothing that I'm even remotely good at, besides healing and, to a certain extent, swordfighting, but even those abilities are only due to extensive training. I even manage to screw up a leisurely walk in the woods when I fall and scrape my knee. It seems I'm just 'snakebitten', as they say. There's got to be a limit to how bad you can be at everything!

* * *

After a long day, I find myself at the pegasus stables. I'm exhausted after a hard day of training, but for some reason the pegusi seem intriguing. I've never been a horse person, but I've never seen a pegasus before and the prospect of actually riding one is simply too cool to resist. Besides, I'm feeling more confident after a final trip to the battle arena for swordfighting. I'm also completely out of ideas. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually be good at it.

The stables are big, and the stalls enormous. The pegusi are definitely getting star treatment at this place. I wander between the stalls, pausing to pet some of the horses, and all the while looking around for any sign of another person. I'm not sure where to start, and I could use the help of someone more knowledgable.

The sound of heavy boots on wood alerts me to the presence of another demigod, and I immediately jump back from the stall I was just peeking into as if I've done something wrong.

"Hello?"

I clear my throat. "Um, hi? It's Alyssa. I'm new here and I was wondering if I could ride one of the pegusi?" I suddenly feel incredibly stupid.

The figure walks over to me, and in the dim light I notice that he's tall and lanky with reddish hair, not someone I recognize.

"So you want to ride one of the horses?"

"Uh, yeah. If that's okay. I haven't ridden before or anything, I just thought I might try it out. See what I'm good at, you know? Unless this is a bad time?" I shrink under his gaze.

He just shrugs. "Fine by me. Just a few minutes?"

"Uh… Yeah. That would great. Thanks."

He walks over to the stall that I was just leaning against. "You can ride the spotty thing here, if you want,"

"The spotty thing?" I don't know much about horses, but that doesn't seem like a very nice name. I'm not sure I'd like to be referred to as "the dark-haired thing".

He grins. "His name's Prince, but we call him that around here. The name doesn't really suit him."

The name still seems kind of mean, but now that I take a good look at the pegasus, I understand what he means. Prince is cute, but he certainly doesn't have the elegant and majestic look of the other horses. His coat and wings are covered in brown spots, an interesting look for a pegasus, and it's topped off with a scraggly mane and a tail that looks about half the size it should be. At the sound of his name, his lifts his head up and pricks his ears in our direction.

"He's the sweetest horse you'll ever meet," the guy explains, grabbing what looks like a bunch of leather straps off a hook on the wall and stepping into the stall. He wastes no time slipping it over the horse's head and leading him out into the aisle.

"I'm Daniel by the way. You coming?"

I rush to catch up to them, but I can't help noticing that he's missing an important piece of equipment. "Aren't you supposed to put a saddle on him?"

"Nah, they don't fit under the wings. We've tried a few different saddles before, but none of them were too comfortable, so now we just ride bareback. Don't worry, we won't do much."

His reassurances don't succeed in making me any less nervous about this arrangement, but I follow anyway. I got myself into this, and I'm not going to chicken out at the last minute.

It's getting dark when we head out to the riding ring, but we still have plenty of light to go by. I just hope I can get back to the mess hall in time for dinner.

He leads the pegasus over to a mounting block in the corner, and aligns him while I step up onto the block. With his instruction, I awkwardly swing by right leg over the horse's back and the next thing I know, I'm on.

I grab the reins with whatever mane I can find and instinctively hunch forward, trying to hang on as best I can without a saddle under me.

I yelp as the pegasus takes a few steps forward, and I feel his muscles move under my legs as I'm shifted from side to side just the slightest bit. I clench my knees to keep from falling off.

We stop, and Daniel moves over to face me.

"Sit up straighter," he instructs. I force myself to draw my shoulders back and sit up, but it makes me feel even more off balance, like I'm going to tip backward at any minute. He makes sure my legs are tucked neatly underneath Prince's wings.

"Now, there should be a straight line from your hip to your heel, and keep your heels down. It will help you keep your balance."

It doesn't feel right at all, but I do as he says.

"I know it goes against your instincts, but keep your weight back and sit up straight. It'll help you relax and you'll actually have much better balance. And don't grip with your knees, it throws your weight forward and undoes everything."

I'm waiting for him to tell me exactly how I'm actually supposed to stay on, but instead he just takes a step back and tells me how to make the horse move.

I do as he says, and the next few minutes are spent walking and halting as he has to remind me constantly about my posture. I try not to lean forward, but every time the horse moves I find myself trying desperately to hold on to something. He says it will come with time.

Suddenly, Prince skids to a stop, and I'm thrown forward a bit. He lifts his head and pricks his ears, and just as I'm starting to get nervous, he breaks into a much faster and bouncier pace than I'm used to. I instinctively grip my knees together and hang on for dear life as I'm bounced off his back. I can feel myself slipping off to the side, and I start paniking, when his wings suddenly unfold and hit me squarely in the face. I'm knocked completely off his back and onto the ground. I'm rolling now, the world spinning above me until I finally stop and get up, slowly.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry!" Daniel runs over to my side and asks me if I'm okay. I nod, and am pleased to find that I am, just shaken.

"He spooked at something over that way. He's never done that before, I promise. Heck, I didn't know he even knew how to fly. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, really. You didn't do anything wrong. I've had a long day, is all. I should probably head back the mess hall. Thanks anyway."

He eyes me suspiciously, but I think he can tell that I'm sincere. He nods and walks off to find his horse, while I leave the riding school and head off toward the mess hall.

I guess I'll have to figure things out tomorrow.

**A/N: Again, sorry if this chapter was a bit late, and not really my best. Things are getting pretty crazy and I'm still adjusting to my busy schedule. I also read BOO…. and I was pretty disappointed. But I won't ruin it for the rest of you!**

**So, I uploaded this now instead of a few days later because, well… is this too much personal information? There's kind of a terrorist on the loose really close to my school and we're all too freaked out to work (writing fanfiction, on the other hand, is 10x less stressful). I'm seriously watching a live feed of police tracking down a guy with a gun in my city, like 20 minutes away from me. My thoughts go out to everyone else affected by this tragedy. Stay strong, Ottawa!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan or Cassandra Clare**

Day three at Camp Half-Blood. I still don't know what I'm going to do about my situation. I want to keep in touch with my old friends, no matter how mad they might be at me, and I know it's only a matter of time before I get kicked out of this camp, but I'm starting to really like it here. What's more, the more time I spend at this camp, the more unthinkable the idea of leaving becomes. Camp Half-Blood just isn't the kind of place you can leave and forget about: it stays with you your whole life. Then again, the same could be said of the shadow world.

Also, the more I hear about the demigods and their current problems, which oddly resemble those of the shadowhunters, the more convinced I become that the two groups can help each other.

Here's what I know so far: Demons/Monsters/Whatever-you-want-to-call-them have been attacking the mundanes (or mortals. Whatever), in large numbers, seemingly without reason. The shadowhunters are confused because the demons aren't usually this aggressive or numerous, and the demigods are confused because monsters don't usually attack mortals. Both sides are kind of freaked out and trying to simultaneously defend the innocent and figure out what's going on. Of course, I say "both sides" assuming that's how the shadowhunters are reacting as well, since I know them well and I'm pretty sure that's how they'd react. I have a feeling that sooner or later everyone is going to figure out that some of the demons can't be killed by their weapons and all hell will break loose.

I know reuniting these sides is the right option, and it could become the only one if this goes on much longer, and I've realized recently that I'm in a position to make this happen. It's not like I carry much, or really any, influence on either side, but how many people know about both?

It's these thoughts that are swirling through my mind as I seek out Katia after breakfast, hoping to talk to her before she gets started with any training. I find her, unsurprisingly, at the armoury. She greets me with a smile as I walk in.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second? It's about… you know, the stuff that going on with the mun-I mean the mortals."

Her expression turns instantly serious, and she straightens up.

"Of course. What is it? Do you have any information?"

I choose my words carefully. "Not exactly. I was just thinking that maybe… well, I mean, this can't be everyone you have, can it?"

She seems to deflate at this. "You mean the people at camp? I'm afraid it is. Why?"

I take a second for formulate my next sentence without giving too much away. "I was just thinking that we're a bit outnumbered, and you can't ask kids to go to war, if that's what we're headed toward. Do you not have any reinforcements?"

"Well, we do, sort of. If things get really bad, we've got the hunters, the romans and the amazons. I think you're underestimating us a bit, Alyssa. We have done this before, you know."

"Oh, I know." But my mind is reeling. "What about these reinforcements, though? I've never heard of them."

She gives me a suspicious look but doesn't ask why I'm suddenly so curious, instead leaning against the wall of the armoury. "The hunters of Artemis are a group of immortal girls, led by the goddess Artemis, who basically go around the world hunting down monsters. They live by their own rules, but they usually come and help us when we need them. The amazons are a similar group, just not immortal or led by a goddess. The romans are a bit more complicated, since historically, we haven't gotten along with them very well. They're basically a camp like this one, but way more war-like and disciplined, and they follow the roman gods"

My heart soars at the mention of this other camp. Maybe if the demigods get along with the romans, they can somehow manage to cooperate with the shadowhunters!

"And you guys get along with the romans?"

She makes a face, dashing my hopes. "Not exactly. We have a long history of fighting, and I don't think either side completely trusts the other even now, but yeah, we get along better now. I just took us awhile to get there."

"Oh. okay, thanks."

"May I ask why you want to know all this?"

"No reason. Just tired of being left in the dark, you know?"

She seems to believe me, so I thank her and leave the armoury.

I should have known my crazy idea would never work out. Even if the demigods were willing to cooperate, I know the shadowhunters, and they are way too proud to work with others. The people of the New York Institute might be willing to give the idea a try, but there's no way the Clave would agree to respecting and working with people who are not descended from Raziel, particularly people as proud of their culture and as confident in their abilities as I'm learning the demigods are. I've heard enough about what happened with Valentine to know that convincing the Clave to respect another race is almost impossible. Both races are much too similar, and too cocky, to ever work together.

I don't even know why I'm thinking about this. It's stupid. What do I know? I'm sure the leaders of both groups will figure out a solution to this problem that doesn't even concern me, and then it will be over with and everyone will forget all about it.

I head off to the arena and begin slicing up dummies with my sword, working on some of the moves Katia taught me. There are a lot of other people practicing with me, so I spar with a bunch of different people and though I get beaten every time, I find that I can hold my own much better today. During one of my breaks, I start talking to another girl, who looks about nine or ten years old but is clearly a lot better than me.

"So, what cabin are you guys in?"

"I'm in Demeter, but we all have different godly parents."

"So it's not just one cabin here?"

"No, we all wanted to train today. We know there's a war coming, and the older kids are encouraging us to get in shape. It's fun!"

I stare at the little girl in front of me, talking about going off to war as if it's nothing. Training to defend the world at such a young age. "How old are you?"

She shoots me a toothy grin. "I'll be nine next month! I'm hoping the war will be over by then so we can celebrate properly. The others say it's possible if we train hard now and get it over with quickly."

I feel like someone has twisted a knife into my gut. This is so wrong. These are _kids_ fighting. The shadowhunters never let anyone under eighteen fight but these people don't have any other options. These little kids have already been through too much, they shouldn't have to worry about stuff like dying at war. They shouldn't feel obligated to do their part.

And in that moment, my mind is made up. I don't know if uniting the demigods and shadowhunters is possible, or if it will work, but I have to give them the option, in case it proves to be the answer. I have to do everything in my power to protect these children and make sure they're not needed to do anything. If that means contacting my old friends, then so be it.

I can't say anything just yet. I need to gain their trust first, convince them I'm one of them, then maybe there's a chance they'll listen to me. It seems impossible, but for the sake of the kids at this camp, including the one in front of me, I need to try my best.

I don't feel like training anymore. I sheath my sword and tell the little girl that it was a pleasure talking to her, but that I'm not feeling well, which isn't entirely untrue, and head off toward my cabin. Now that I know what's going on, I have to look away when I see a group of kids on the climbing wall. I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe I didn't expect it.

I stop suddenly upon entering the Hermes cabin. It's completely empty. Is there something wrong? Am I missing something? I look in the bathroom, even under the beds. The cabin is eerily quiet, much emptier than I've ever seen it.

"Hello?"

No answer. There's really no one here. I stand up shakily and take a deep breath. They're all training. Every last one of them. I'm not sure if I missed a big announcement, or if there was just a silent agreement, or if I was just really, really tired at last night's campfire, but every single member of the Hermes cabin has decided to prepare for war. Probably every member of the camp.

I wonder suddenly if I should be training with them. They can't possibly expect the new kid to fight, can they? Well, if they're asking the same of nine-year-olds…

I feel a sudden stab of guilt at the thought that I'm not doing enough to help the demigods. As useless as I might be in battle, I should still be doing my part, especially since this stuff might actually affect me more than them.

I immediately leave the cabin and head off, back toward the arena.

The remainder of the day goes by uneventfully. I bounce around the camp on my own schedule, mixing things up so that I don't get bored. I try to talk to a few of the other demigods, and get a bit of information from the friendlier ones, but most are too focused on training and too out of breath to talk for very long. Besides, I'm not exactly the most sociable person.

It's by far the best and most productive training session I've ever had. I even find myself - dare I say it? - actually enjoying myself from time to time. There's less pressure to perform at this camp, and much more positive encouragement from the others. Even though we're preparing for a war, people seem more relaxed, laid back and eager to enjoy themselves then I ever saw the shadowhunters. When an older girl from the Apollo cabin comes over to give me a few archery tips (I'm hopeless), I feel like she genuinely wants to help me for my own sake, not prssure me into it because it's what I have to do. The atmosphere is so much more friendly and encouraging that I'm positively in love with the camp when it comes time for the campfire.

I'm exhausted at this point. As I collapse onto the steps of the amphitheater alongside the Hermes kids, muscles aching both from my ride yesterday and today's training, I can barely keep my eyes open and all I can think about is my bed in the Hermes cabin.

I clap along halfheartedly at the rousing songs we start off with, and I can tell I'm not the only one. After a long day, all the demigods are just about ready to skip the campfire and go straight to sleep. I can tell the Apollo kids leading us are noticing the difference, as well as feeling the fatigue themselves, as they stop after a few songs, turning to a centaur in the front row who I've recently identified as Chiron, the guy in the wheelchair from my first day here. He trots up to address us.

"Hello everyone! I am Chiron, director of camp activities. I know you're all a bit tired today, so I'll try to make this quick, then you can have your s'mores." There's a sudden burst of applause at that last statement.

"I'm very proud of all of you for taking my advice from yesterday to heart. I know you're not used to this much training, but I never thought I would see such discipline and dedication from the campers. I'd say it was the roman influence, but then you'd all stop training."

There are a few laughs from the crowd.

"Anyway, we still don't have any new updates from the trio that left this morning, though it looks like more mortals were attacked and killed in the city."

Dead silence. Any laughs or conversations are halted abruptly.

"We don't know why this is happening, or who is behind it, but we will try our best to protect the innocent, and we appreciate your help in doing so. Are there any volunteers for another quest?"

A few hands are raised in the crowd and, after thinking about it, I decide to put mine up too. This is the best way to earn the trust of these people, and I might even get the chance to talk to my friends. Now that I think about it, I miss them.

Chiron sees me and narrows his eyes, then turns away, toward Katia. "I will let Katarina lead this quest. You can choose two companions and leave in the morning."

I shoot Katia a pleading look, but she purses her lips and turns her face to the ground. I decide I'll need to seek her out afterward. Chirons steps back and conversation resumes in the crowd, as people rush to get to the marshmallows. I follow Katia to the edge of the crowd, and grab her coat before she can get away, turning her to face me.

"Please, let me come with you," I beg. Now that I realize how close I am to going back to my home, where I might be able to get a glimpse of the world I've been immersed in all my life, I know I have to go.

Katia looks dubious. "Alyssa, I don't-"

She cuts off, and her eyes shift to something above me. Confused, I look up and see a glowing figure suspended over my head. I duck and swat at it, unsure what it means and worried it might be a bad thing, but Katia grabs my arm to stop me.

She's smiling radiantly, and I can see the reflexion of the glowing orb in her eyes.

"A lyre," she says, "Apollo."

I stare at her blankly. "What?"

"You've been claimed," she's positively giddy with excitement. "You're a daughter of Apollo, I knew it!"

What is she even talking about? I know I'm not a demigod, it's impossible! The glowing orb has faded now, but I don't know what to think. Why would Apollo claim me?

Either way, I should be grateful. Being claimed by an olympian god means that I might actually be accepted at this camp, and maybe they'll let me go on a quest.

"I'm so glad you're an Apollo kid," Katia is saying, "though it would have been cool if we were in the same cabin. Still, the Apollo cabin is great, even if the kids can be a bit annoying sometimes, definitely way better than Hermes and Aphrodite. I'm sure you'll fit in nicely."

"I'm not so sure about that." At her questioning look, I explain. "Isn't Apollo the god of… music and poetry and… manly beauty? Not exactly my favourite things in the world."

"Oh, that's fine. Not everyone shares all the traits of their godly parent. There have been kids in the Apollo cabin who were totally tone-deaf or couldn't rhyme at all. They're pretty uncommon, I admit, but I doubt you're terrible at those other things. Besides, we know you have a natural gift for healing. That's Apollo's thing."

I know my healing abilities are due to extensive training and practice, not a natural gift, but since I can't explain it, I just shrug.

"By the way…." she sounds tentative all of a sudden, "If you want to join our quest, that's okay. Sorry if I was a bit rude before. I understand that you'd want to get back out there and prove yourself. it's just that usually new kids aren't quite ready for that stuff. You're better than most, though."

My heart soars and I have to resist the temptation to jump up and down in happiness. I beam at her.

"Thank you so much! I'd love to join you guys! Is Matt coming too?"

"Of course he is! We've never been on separate quests before."

"So, when are we leaving?" We begin walking toward the cabins.

"I was thinking tomorrow morning, if that's alright with you. We're pretty much ready, so there really isn't much point in delaying things."

"That sounds fine to me."

"Great! So you'll be ready tomorrow? I'll get everything ready beforehand."

I nod and we split up, as I head off for my last night in the Hermes cabin.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for the late update. November is the craziest month ever for me, as I said, and I'm so busy that everything goes by super quickly and I forget how long it's been since I last updated (In other words, I'm super caught up in real life). I know this wasn't my best chapter either and I'm really sorry about that, but things should pick up in the next one. The last chapter was the one I wrote during the shooting, right? Holy shit that feels like ages ago. Sorry guys. On that note, RIP Nathan Cirillo and OTTAWA STRONG!**


End file.
